So my Gen 480 class ended last night, but not before I had about a 45 minute meeting with my instructor before hand. In his defense, he was very open to my thoughts and opinions, did not get defensive, and was every bit the professional. He even provided some valuable feedback on some issues, and was suprisngly candid in his statements.
But, in the end, my team was still able to slide through the course with what really should not have been a sufficient level of effort. We did not have a final recommendation for the class, and it really felt like we skated through another course. I don’t think that this is the instructors fault this time. I honestly feel that he would love the opportunity to be much more demanding with the curriculum, but the variance in ability levels in the students is so high that he is really handicapped by the school.
The common statement that I have heard from both my academic counselor and my instructor on both of these occasions, is that they agree I might have made a bad decision in choosing UOP. The instrutor made that statement not attacking UOP, but in stating that it probably was not the best fit for me. I could not agree more. I should have recognized the level of students that I was going to be around and bailed much sooner on, but I didn’t and that is my fault.
I just wonder, who exactly is UOP for. If it is not the ideal situation for me, then who is it the ideal student for? And more, does the ideal UOP student really have a place in the college world. My instructor made a point last night when I raised a issue about academic standards for admission, that the same situation exists in public schools and in private. In todays’ society, high school is a requirement for almost anything. The odds of actually moving up the ranks of any company without having a diploma or GED is nearly impossible. That was not the case 30 years ago. If today we are saying that you have to have a college degree or else you can’t go on, what will we be requiring of our children in order for them to succeed. Masters, Doctorate, Multiple Degrees?
At what point does college need to be reserved for those people who are willing to do the work, and have the abilities to succeed? Where should that quality limit be set, and never lowered? If we don’t draw a line in the sand, won’t the college degree continue to devaluate, making it no more valuable in the future than a diploma?
July 29, 2008 at 10:17 pm
I have to say I somewhat agree with you. I am currently attending UOP, as is my husband. we are both criminal justice students. I am a stay at home mother of three children and 26 year old. My husband is a full time construction worker. I remember first starting and saying to myself the course work should not be this easy- either I am smarter than I thought I was or this is just too easy. Now I am in my junior year and I feel at time I have to be at the top of my class. The majority of students I encounter cannot even work their spell cheker (which happens to be appropriately attached to the post box) much less figure out what a full length APA formatted paper is supposed to look like. And these are the student I will graduate with. I fear my degree will be useless. I have worked so hard and I will not be lumped up with a bunch of degenerates.
Who is UOP aimed for? Teh students UOP is aimed to target includes those with time constraints preventing them from attending the traditional university. A moving and wonderful concept. However, truth e told the standards of grading averages has ever so diligently began slipping over the years and UOP has taken a huge chunk out of what an A truely is. I have had otehrs in my class I have said there is no way this person is going to pass- his or her DQ answers are not even aimed towards the question- what do hot dogs have to do with search and seizure? However, I will be shocked when I see the same individual progressing to my next class with me. Very disturbing. UOP does have to step up and ask their professors to stop dishing out A’s to every dummy who at least participates in class.
I know I will be attending a local University come time for my Master’s degree and my law degree. I need a challenge no professor at U O P can give me……